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Mardena saw a little color rise to her mother’s face as she smiled at the tall, handsome man, and noticed that she seemed to hold her body differently There was a wo her randmother didn’t mean she was really so old There were probably men ould find her attractive

“This is hter, Mardena of the Nineteenth Cave of the Zelandonii,” Denoda said, “and randson is around here someplace”

He offered his hands to the younger wos, Mardena of the Nineteenth Cave of the Zelandonii, Daughter of Denoda of the Nineteenth Cave It is my pleasure to meet you I am Dalanar, Leader of the First Cave of the Lanzadonii In the name of the Great Earth Mother, Doni, please know that you are welcome to visit our camp anytime And our Cave, too, for that matter”

Mardena was flustered at the warh to be the man of her hearth, she found herself drawn to hiht she heard a certain emphasis on the word “pleasure” that made her think of the Mother’s Gift of Pleasure She never felt so overwhelmed by a man before

Dalanar glanced around and saw a tall young woman “Joplaya,” he called, then turned and spoke to Denoda “I’d like you to hter of my hearth,” he said

Mardena was astonished by the young wo as the tiny woh there was a resemblance, which made her almost hlights Her cheekbones were high, but her face was neither as round nor as flat as the other woman’s Her nose resembled the man’s, but was more delicate, and her black eyebroere smooth and finely arched Thick black lashes outlined eyes that were quite different froh they were similar in shape, if not in color Joplaya’s eyes were as distinctly colored as the vivid blue eyes of the reen

Mardena hadn’t gone to the Su when Dalanar’s Cave came the last time The man of her hearth had recently left, and she didn’t want to face people She had heard of Joplaya but hadn’t e to stare and struggled to control it Joplaya was an exotically beautiful woman

After Dalanar introduced Joplaya and greetings were exchanged, along with a few pleasantries, they left to talk to so the waran to understand why her mother had been so captivated by hiht have been as entranced But his daughter, while unusually lovely, had an air of melancholy about her, a despondency that belied the joy of an i Mardena couldn’t understand why soht to be happy could seem so sad

“We need to go, Mardena,” Denoda said “We don’t want to overstay our welcome, not if ant to be invited back The Lanzadonii are close to the Ninth Cave, and it’s been many years since Dalanar and his Cave have co They need to renew their ties Let’s find Lanidar and thank Ayla for inviting us”

The camps of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii and the First Cave of the Lanzadonii were, ostensibly, two camps of two Caves of two different people, but actually it was one very large camp of close family and friends

Walking through the e, the four woht People didn’t even try not to stare Marthona was always noticed wherever she went She was a former leader of a major Cave and still powerful, not to h some people had met or seen Jerika before, she was still such an unusual-looking woman, so unlike anyone they had seen before, people couldn’t keep their eyes away The fact that she was mated to Dalanar, and had co-founded with him not only a new Cave, but a new people, made her even more exceptional

Jerika’s daughter, Joplaya, the dark-haired melancholy beauty, who, it was rumored, planned to mate with a man of mixed spirits, was a woman of mystery and speculation The beautiful blond woht back, who traveled with two docile horses and a wolf and was rumored to be an accon zelandoni She spoke their language clearly, if not perfectly, and she had recently found a new and beautiful cave right under the nose of the Nineteenth Cave Together, the fourso to ignore it and was glad for the company

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bsp; Many people had already arrived when they reached the zelandonia lodge They were observed carefully at the entrance by several Zelandonia ere men, which , the woman explained

“Men are not allowed at this , unless they are zelandonia, but every year there are always a few young et close so they can listen,” she said “Some have even attempted to sneak in dressed up as wouards to keep them away” She noticed several e structure, Madro them